A need exists for an economical, convenient and efficient dispenser of beverages in a home refrigerator using large size one, two and three liter commercial beverage bottles as the source of the beverage being dispensed. Such bottles will not fit in most refrigerators while upright and therefore must be laid on their sides. When full of beverage, the large bottles are heavy and difficult to handle, particularly by children. Spilling of the beverage occurs frequently when an attempt is made to pour the beverage directly into a drinking glass from the large bottle. Frequent removal of the bottle cap, as well as failure to tighten the cap when it is replaced on the neck of the bottle, results in rapid loss of beverage carbonation.
While household refrigerator dispensers of beverages are known in the prior art, these generally are fairly complex and costly devices and therefore not completely practical. Moreover, known beverage dispensers are not designed to utilize the present day one, two and three liter plastic bottles as the source or supply of the beverage and do not include a simple cradle or support for such bottles.
The objective of the present invention is to satisfy the recognized need for a household refrigerator beverage dispenser which utilizes the above-described large beverage bottles at the supply or source of the beverage. More particularly, the present invention includes a low elevation one-piece cradle for one or more large bottles and supports the bottle or bottles on their sides at a shallow inclined angle sufficient to promote gravity flow of the beverage. A simplified positive acting dispensing valve having a direct threaded connection with the bottle neck or with an adapter coupled to the bottle neck allows the outflow of beverage from the bottle directly into a drinking glass without spilling, without the loss of carbonation to any significant degree, and without the necessity for lifting and manipulating the large bottle. Thus, the present invention eliminates the major drawbacks of the prior art noted above.
Another object and feature of the invention is to provide a venting system for the beverage dispenser which eliminates the possibility of air lock in the bottle during the outflow of beverage. In accordance with the invention, the venting system is open to atmosphere only during the outflow of beverage through the dispensing valve and is closed automatically when the valve returns to its normal closed non-dispensing position.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following detailed description.